Thanks for the welcome guys. LOVE the drinking analogy, but if you make it a 25 yr old Single Malt Scotch, you'll be speaking my language!

Go ahead and splurge on that Swede - ammo can be a bit stiff (unless you roll your own), but you'll find recoil to be almost non-existent (I think my Dad's .30 carbine kicked more!), and while it can be a bit to lug around it's not any worse than any other Mauser. Just watch out for one thing - mine came with threads on the end of the barrel, and nothing to cover those threads. I didn't do anything about it except be very very careful around the end of the barrel, until a few years ago. Finally splurged for both a cap (screw it on and forget it, it's just there to protect the threads) and a "flash hider". Don't know how good the flash hider is, never fired it at night or even late evening. Looks cool though, and I can always take it off and put the cap back on if anybody has any issues with it.

How I found you guys? Well gee...slept since then, I really don't recall. I believe someone made reference to you on one of the Facebook pages I'm on, "Bubba Free Military Surplus Firearms". All I know is, I'm glad I'm here!

Hi. My name's Wolf, and I'm a milsurp collector......

<pause while everyone says "Hi Wolf!">

My addiction started years and years and YEARS ago, when as a pre-teen I used to drool over the 7mm Mausers (and other milsurps) at the local Woolco. Finally in 1991 I just couldn't take it anymore, and I ordered a M96 Swedish Mauser through Shotgun News. Sprung a few extra bucks for a numbers-matching rifle with the bayonet and scabbard.

I was hooked. The Swede did a pretty good job of feeding my addiction, and then one day I saw a Norinco SKS "Paratrooper". I could feel the drool starting again.

Next to come along was another Russian, a '44 Izhevsk baby that looked pretty rough. Never got the chance to fire it, and a few years later I needed the money and sold it. "Now", I'm thinking about getting another one - preferably in much better condition!

That's assuming I can't get my hands on an AK first... Or an AR... Or.....

Well, that's my story and I'm sticking to it!!!

(oh, forgot to mention that my wife has a .380 Makarov that she absolutely loves. I'm thinking that if I can get her behind that SKS just once, she'll be hooked on that as well!)